Crate



March 6, 1934. w w BlRNSTOCK 1,949,674

CRATE Filed Oct. 3. 1929 Patented Mar. b, 1934 burrs.

T FFICE half to Henry H. Snel Application @ctober 3,

6 Claims.

This in ention relates to crates and more particularly to the cross rodsfor dividing the crate into a plurality of cells or compartments forreceiving milk bottles or any other types of bottles and comprises sideand end walls, means for securing the walls together, cross rods freelyrotatable in said walls and means for securing the cross rods to thewalls whereby the same may be quickly and readily detached from thecrate, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the crossrods in a crate may be quickly and readily detached from the walls ofthe crate so that after the crate has been repaired, it is possible tore-use the cross rods and fastening means.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of amember adapted to be inserted in one of the sections forming the wall ofa crate for frictionally engaging and positively securing one end of thecross rods. These cross rods which form cells or compartments forreceiving bottles are subject to severe strain and wear and by makingthe same freely movable or rotatable within the walls of the crateconsiderable strain is taken from the crate itself due to the fact thatin withdrawing bottles the side walls strike the cross rods and whenadapted to freely rotate an easy withdrawal of the bottle is efiected.

The present devices which are now on the market are subject to ratherrough treatment and the life of the average milk bottle crate is more orless limited due to the fact that the cross rods now in use arepermanently secured or riveted to the walls of the plate. The fact thatice is packed over the milk in these crates causes the crates to becomewater soaked which in a short course of time rots and decays the woodsurrounding the cross rods and makes it impossible to use the crate orthe cross rods any great length of time. The present invention overcomessuch a difficulty and materially reduces the cost of manufacture andsale price of the crates. The crate to which the present cross rod andfastening means is attached is preferably of the built up type includinga plurality of slats of suffici nt durability to stand the wear and tearnecessary and which are held together by interlocking corner angles.

The cross rods are passed thru openings in the slats and are of asmaller diameter than the opening in the slats thereby allowing for afreely revolvable movement of the cross rods forming ling, Washington,D. C.

1929, Serial No. 397,125

the individual compartments or cells. One end of the cross rod may, ifdesired, be provided with an enlarged head for retaining the cross rodsin the slats while the opposite end is adapted to be inserted into studor rivet which is positioned thru a like opening in the opposite slat,and by tapping the stud so as to bring it adjacent the outside wall ofthe slat, the stud may receive within its bore the free end of the crossrod, which is locked in the stud by frictional engagement. Should one ofthe particular slats in the crate become defective it is only necessaryto remove that particular slat, prior to which, the cross rod is readilyremoved by placing a punch in the bore of the stud and by a slight forceapplied thereto, the cross rod is quickly detached from the slat.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lockingstud for the cross rods which will securely retain the cross rods inposition and which may be easily withdrawn from the crate after thecross rods have been detached thereby allowing re-use of the studs aswell as the cross rods.

Further objects will become apparent as the description proceeds and asset forth in the appended claims.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate consisting of a plurality ofslats secured by interlocking corner angles and showing the cross rodspassing thru certain slats.

Figure 2 is a transverse section thru the crate showing the studsecuring the cross rods.

Figure 3 is a detailed perspective view of the locking stud.

Figure 4 is a transverse section thru the crate showing locking studssecured to both ends of the cross rod.

Figure 5 is a transverse section thru the crate showing another form oflocking stud adapted to engage an annular groove formed in the crossrod.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the stud shown in Figure 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawing 10 represents the crate inits entirety. This crate consists of a number of selected hard maple endand side slats 11 superimposed upon each other and secured together bymeans of the interlocking corner angles 12 and 13. The cross rods 14 areof substantially heavy wire and are adapted to divide the crate into aplurality of cells or compartments for receiving bilk bottles and thelike. Certain of the slots 11 are provided with openings 15, each 01'the openings receiving the cross rod 14 which may have, if desired, anenlarged head 16 fitting within the countersunk portion 17 of the outerface of the slat 11. The cross rods 14 extend to the opposite side ofthe crate and in a similar opening 15 there is positioned locking studs18 each of which is provided with an enlarged head 19 adapted to bepositioned within the countersunk portion 20 on the outer face of theslat. A free end of the cross rod 14 is received within the bore 21 ofthe locking stud and is frictionally held thereon so as to prevent thecross rod 14 from being disengaged from the locking stud except when itis necessary to remove the same from the particular slat thru which itpasses when it is desired to replace that slat within the crate.

While I may provide the cross rods 14 with integral heads obviously thisis not necessary and I may use commercial circular rod stock merely cutto length and provide two heads each detachable as in Figure 4. In thiscase the studs l8 are very slightly tapered and are jammed on to thecross rods 14 In this construction the rods of course will revolve asbefore and the diameter of the sleeve 22 as in one form of the inventionwill be smaller than the lesser diameter bore 15 and the head 19 willsnugly engage the circular larger diameter bore 1'7.

The openings 15 formed in the slats for receiving the cross rods 14 andthe locking studs 18 are of a diameter greater than the diameter of theextension 22 of the locking stud which receives the free end of thecross rod 14 and the diameter of the cross rod. By providing theseopenings of a greater diameter than that of the locking bolt and crossrod the cross rods are allowed to freely rotate in the slats whichrelieves the slats from any strain due to the withdrawal of a bottlefrom any one of the cells. The present constructions now in use providecells or compartments of a width just sufficient to allow a bottle to beinserted or withdrawn. and when the bottle is inserted the cross rodsfrictionally engage the periphery of the bottle to retain the samewithin the cell and oftentimes bottles having letters embossed thereoncannot be easily withdrawn from the cells because there is a wedgingaction between the embossed letters and the cross rods due to the factthat the cross rods are rigidly secured within the crate by rivets orthe like and are not capable of a free or rotatable movement within thesame. By permitting the cross rods forming the individual cells of thecrate to revolve freely within the slats, it is possible to readilywithdraw a bottle whether having embossed letters thereon or not, due tothe fact that as the bottle is being withdrawn from the cell and shouldcome into contact with the cross rods it may be readily withdrawn as thecross rods are adapted to freely rotate thereby eliminating any frictionbetween the cross rods and the bottle and therefore the usual strain onthe crate.

An important feature of my invention lies in having the rods rotatableand I wish it distinctly understood that my invention contemplates theprovision of rotatable rods of any form whatsoever either in thepreferred form or with two replaceable studs 18 or even if the heads bemade integral with the; rods. In practice I find that every advantage ispresent when I have one head integral with the rod and have the headedsleeve stud such as shown, this stud in practice being made of a highcarbon special analysis steel while the rod itself is made of the usualstock and the head is upset as in nail making.

As regards the showing in Figure 5, the slats 11 are provided with theopenings 15 for receiving the cross rod and locking stud. In thisconstruction, the cross rod is provided with an annular groove 23 at apoint near its end for receiving the depressed annular rib 24 formed inthe locking studs 18 which are provided with the enlarged head 19adapted to be positioned within the coun tersunk portion 20 on the outerface of the slats. This locking stud is preferably made of spring steeland is provided with a central bore to receive the ends of the crossrods while it is split longitudinally as at 25 to allow for expansionand contraction of the stud when applying the cross rods thereto. Theopening 15 in the slats is likewise of a larger diameter than thediameter of the sleeve so as to allow free rotation of the crossrodswithin the crate and also allow for the expansion of the locking stud 18when engaging the cross rods until the annular depressed rib 24 fitsinto the corresponding annular groove 23 on the cross rods. Theinterfitting of the rib and groove securely retains the cross rods inposition within the crate until such time as it is necessary to detachthe cross rods from the crate to substitute a new slat for the worn outone.

It is a general practice when milk bottles are positioned in the crateto pack ice around the bottles to keep the milk cold until delivered.This soon causes the respective slats to become water soaked andeventually to rot and decay but under the present invention it ispossible to remove the particular slat or slats that may have decayedand to replace them with new ones. It is also possible to re-use thecross rods indefinitely and this is accomplished by the fact that thecross rods are freely rotatable within the slats and are frictionallyheld therein by the locking stud. It is only necessary to apply a punchwithin the bore of the locking stud and give it a slight impulse from ahammer or other device which will result in the cross rod 14 beingwithdrawn from the locking stud and readily adaptable to be withdrawnfrom the opposite side of the other slat.

What I claim is:

1. A crate consisting of a plurality of independently removable slatsforming side and end walls, independently removable cross rods extendinginto opposite slats to form cells, one end of each rod beingsubstantially cylindrical and solid but having an annular groovetherein, and securing means each having a cylindrical bore entirelytherethrough substantially of the diameter of the rod and having in saidbore an annular depressed rib for frictionally engaging the annulargroove near the end of the rod, said bore exposing to view the end ofthe rod and permitting the use of a drift pin the diameter of the rodfor removing any chosen rod from the crate by driving the rod out of thesecuring means from the outside of the crate and without disturbing theother rods.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the securing means consists of aspring metal stud having a longitudinal slot therein.

3. A crate consisting of a plurality of independently removable slatsforming side and end walls, independently removable cross rods extendinginto opposite slats to form cells, one end of each rod beingsubstantially cylindrical and solid, and securing means each having acylindrical bore entirely therethrough substantially of the diameter ofthe rod for frictionally engaging the fr end of a rod, said boreexposing to view the end of the rod and permitting the use of a driftpin the diameter of the rod for removing any chosen rod from the crateby driving the rod out of the securing means from the outside of thecrate, and without disturbing the other rods.

4. A crate consisting of a plurality of independently removable slatsforming side and end walls, independently removable cross rods extendinginto opposite slats to form cells, one end of each rod beingsubstantially cylindrical and solid, and securing means each consistingof a head and a hollow, unbroken, cylindrical sleeve, said sleeveIrictionally engaging the rod but free of the slat, permitting easyremoval of the rod, said slats having bores therein of greater diameterthan the outside diameter of the sleeves to provide such freedom of thesleeve.

5. A crate consisting of a plurality of independently removable slatsforming side and end walls, independently removable cross rods extendinginto opposite slats to form cells, one end of each rod beingsubstantially cylindrical and solid, and securing means each consistingof a head and an integral hollow, unbroken, cylindrical sleeve, saidhead fitting snugly a slat while the sleeve frictionally engages the rodbut is free of the slat, permitting easy removal 0! the rod, said slatshaving bores therein of greater diameter than the outside diameter ofthe sleeves to provide such freedom of the sleeve.

6. A crate consisting of a plurality of independently removable slatsforming side and end walls, independently removable cross rods extendinginto opposite slats to form cells, one end of each rod beingsubstantially cylindrical and solid, and securing means each having acylindrical bore entirely therethrough substantially of the diameter ofthe rod for frictionally engaging the free end of a rod, said boreexposing to view the end of the rod and permitting the use of a driftpin the diameter of the rod for removing any chosen rod from the crateby driving the rod out of the securing means from the outside of thecrate, and each securing means consisting of a head and an integralhollow, unbroken, cylindrical sleeve, said head fitting snugly against aslat while the sleeve frictionally engages the rod but is free of theslat, permitting easy removal of the rod, said slats having borestherein of greater diameter than the outside diameter of the sleeves toprovide such freedom of the sleeve.

WILLIAM W. BIRNSTOCK.

